Orioles' Dean Kremer Continues to Befuddle Rays' Hitters

TAMPA, Fla. — Dean Kremer was on the mound for the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday night, so it didn't really matter that the Tampa Bay Rays have been red hot at the plate lately. Kremer simply has their number.

Kremer, the right-hander who's in his sixth year with Baltimore, allowed just one run and four hits in five innings of work, getting the win in the Orioles'; 5-1 victory at Steinbrenner Field. It's the sixth straight time the Orioles have beaten the Rays in a Kremer start, and he's 2-1 with a 2.25 ERA against the Rays.

He showed up big on a night that the Orioles really needed him, too, after getting whipped 7-1 by the Rays in the series opener on Monday night.

“Yeah, Deano did great,'' Orioles interim manager Tony Mansolino said. "You know, it’s five innings of one-run ball for Deao against seven out of nine lefties in a park where right field is close and the ball is falling after those two home runs we saw (Monday).

"Deano mixes stuff good, and the split was good tonight. He threw a nice curveball, and the fastball had some life at the top of the zone when he used it. He did great.”

The Rays had scored seven or more runs in four straight wins as they moved within 2.5 games of the Yankees for first place in the American League East. But after cruising to a 7-1 victory on Monday night, the offense went cold.

Kremer entered Tuesday night with a 2.31 ERA against the Rays and 32 strikeouts in seven appearances. The right-hander allowed just one run while fanning four batters in five innings. Kremer’s fourth inning strikeout of Rays catcher Matt Thaiss was the 500th of his six-year career.

“It’s quite a milestone, close to 600 innings, now 500 punchouts, it’s not something to take lightly,” Kremer said after the game. “I'm grateful for the opportunity.”

Kremer applauded the Rays offense, detailing everything Tampa Bay’s batting order does right.

“They’re a very scrappy team,'' he said. "They can hit for power, they can hit for average, they steal, hit and run,” Kremer said. “They do all the little things right.”

The Rays’ red-hot offense was held to one run or fewer for the 17th time this season, which is the fourth-most in the American League behind the Texas Rangers, Chicago White Sox and the Kansas City Royals.

With the series evened, the Rays and Orioles will square off for Game 3 on Wednesday night at 7:35 p.m. ET.

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